Corvallis schools receive 'Outstanding' report cards

Ten of the 13 schools in the Corvallis School District received an “Outstanding” rating on the annual Oregon School Report Cards released today by the state Department of Education. Across the state, only 28 percent of schools were rated as Outstanding, compared to 37 percent last year.

The annual report cards assign an Outstanding, Satisfactory or In Need of Improvement rating based on a comprehensive review of each school’s performance in the areas of academic achievement, attendance or graduation, participation in assessments and key school statistics, including teacher experience and class sizes.

“We are extremely pleased with the high number of our schools earning an Outstanding rating,” said Kevin Bogatin, assistant superintendent. “In light of the tougher math standards put in place this last year and ever-shrinking economic resources, we believe this points to the quality of education our students receive year after year and the hard work of our staff to make sure every child is successful.”

District officials were especially encouraged by the academic gains at the two high schools. At Corvallis High School, the percentage of students who met or exceeded state reading standards grew from 72 percent to 92 percent and at Crescent Valley High School the percentage grew from 79 percent to 94 percent.

When it comes to math, 79 percent of CHS students met or exceeded state standards in 2010-2011 compared to 61 percent the year before, and at Crescent Valley, the percentage grew from 63 percent to 81 percent.

“All of our subgroups at the high school level including Hispanic students, students with disabilities and economically disadvantaged students saw double-digit gains in academic performance,” Bogatin said. “Both schools went from Satisfactory to Outstanding due to all the extra interventions and supports they’re providing for struggling students and because of the work teachers are doing as Professional Learning Communities (PLCs).”

Two elementary schools -- Garfield and Lincoln -- received Satisfactory ratings. Linus Pauling Middle School was not rated because the ODE considers it to be a “reconfigured” school due to a population shift following the closing of Lincoln’s middle level program at the end of the 2009-2010 school year.